Go Home
by Jenna D
Summary: Alex and his friends are still in France, like at the end of the movie. But what do they do now, when the Plan in still in action, and they want to go home? ~Now Complete.
1. Prologue

My first fic on a movie... This is dedicated to my friend Laura, who gave me the ever-so-wonderful idea to write this. We watched the movie (twice) together, and loved it.   
  
D/C: I own nothing. Not even Devon Sawa... damn. (Say-wha? Hehe, inside joke.)   
  
~*Alex*~  
I remember it vividly: lying there on the ground, Carter staring at me, saying, "Who's next?" with the sign swinging down behind him. I clenched my eyes shut, and the next thing I knew, the sign was swooshing over my head and landing about a foot away. Clear was on the ground, having tackled Carter, who was bruised up, yet alive. We were all alive. It was amazing. So who was next now?   
  
You'd think the hospital would be safe. That's where we were after that incident. My limited knowledge of French didn't help much in understanding the doctors who were looking over all three of us. I could tell though, that they wanted us to stay overnight. Clear sighed and Carter just gave both of us strange looks. He might as well have been unconscious, he was so stupified. Clear had knocked him over pretty hard. She was next, and she knew it. She looked at me with fear in her eyes.   
  
"Alex... I'm next..." she whispered.  
  
I swallowed really hard. I couldn't admit it. I couldn't admit that she was next, I couldn't admit that I really loved her. It killed me. We sat in the hospital room, next to Carter's bed as he slept, and it was just too quiet. I wanted to go home, get out of France, away from the Plan. I knew none of that could happen. We had to wait until Carter was well enough to travel, and even then we would never escape the Plan... I held Clear's hand and bit my lower lip. "We'll beat it," I told her. "I promise. We'll beat it."  
  
To Be Continued... or, in the words of logan, Not The End...   
  
A/N: Ideas? Really long comments that you'd rather not put in the review? E-mail me, kari@cybertown.com 


	2. Chapter One

  
  
*^Clear^*  
I have to say, I was scared out of my wits. I didn't want to be a part of this "Plan," I wanted to be somewhat normal! But I knew I couldn't be. I let Alex take my hand and I gave his a squeeze. He was scared too, I could feel it. Nothing ever seemed right anymore.  
  
Some doctor I recognized from before came in and looked over Carter. I really couldn't believe I'd saved him without killing myself. It seemed unreal. The doctor told us that Carter was doing very well, and we should expect him to get out of the hospital soon. Then he left.  
  
It was getting late, and I was tired. I leaned my head on Alex's shoulder and closed my eyes. It was great that Carter would be okay, but something wasn't right... something was just completely wrong... I couldn't figure it out, so I fell asleep with one of Alex's arms around me.   
  
*-Carter-*  
Everything was a blur to me. Last thing I remember was seeing the look of petrification on Alex's face, and then feeling the impact of Clear as she shoved me to the ground. I guess I kinda blacked out then, and if I woke up, I don't remember it.   
  
I came to drowsily. The sun was coming up outside my window, and my friends were sleeping in the chairs next to my bed, Alex with his arm around Clear. I smiled to myself. They looked kinda cute together... then I remembered Terry and felt sad. Of all the ways she could have gone... a bus. Her death was so sudden. At least she didn't have to suffer a lot, like Tod or Miss Lewton. I still missed her.   
  
I tried to sit up, but I felt dizzy and lay back down. The ceiling tiles made interesting patterns... woah, what was I thinking? I must have been delusional or something. I tried to see pictures in the little dots on the ceiling. My mind didn't seem to have the capacity to do anything for more than five minutes, and it was six AM. How was I supposed to last until Clear and Alex woke up? I tried to go back to sleep, but my limited attention span didn't even allow me to do that!   
  
"This sucks royally," I said to myself. I repeated it to myself in French as well. That's how bored I was. I watched TV for about ten minutes before getting tired of it. I couldn't stand it! This was agonizing, lying here in a hospital in a foreign country. About as fun as being the loser in the championship game. And being the one that could have made the touchdown, but didn't, and now everyone hates you... Argh. I couldn't stand it. I felt like screaming. Some nurse came in and left me a tray of some unrecognizable food. Even in other countries, hospital food looked weird. I was hungry, but I couldn't pay attention even to food! I wanted out. Out of France. Out of the Plan, out of here!   
  
*^Clear^*  
As I held Alex's hand that night, I could feel the awful scars left by the live wire he'd grabbed when he saved me... I'll never be able to fully repay him for that. I know sometimes it hurts him just to hold a pencil, but Alex is strong. We'll beat this together, me, Alex, and Carter.   
  
I woke up around seven and the first thing I saw was Carter, sitting up in his bed with a goofy smile on his face.  
  
"It's about time you woke up," he said, some irritation in his voice.   
  
"How long have you been awake?" I asked.   
  
"Almost forever, and it's killing me," Carter answered. He suddenly got embarassed. "Sorry." Anything that makes reference to death had us all petrified.  
  
"No, it's okay," I told Carter. I noticed a barely touched tray of strange hospital food nearby. "You're not hungry?"  
  
"I'm famished!" Carter exclaimed. "But I can't stay focused on one taske for more than five minutes! It's sooooo annoying!" Carter was right. Even though he was seventeen, his attention span seemed to be that of a three-year-old. His eyes darted around to every corner of the room, his left foot was twitching in an urge to get up and run around, and he tapped his fingers on the bed's railing. He desperately needed to go for a walk or something, but I wasn't sure he was allowed. "C'mon Clear, let's go somewhere. Alex will be fine."  
  
Alex would be fine, but would I? I was next, I knew it, but would Carter be well enough to intervene? I was so unsure. The three of us would have to be together 24/7! We needed a fourth person who would understand our situation. I began hatching a plan...  
  
"Well Clear? Are we going or not?" Carter interrupted my thoughts.   
  
"I don't think so," I muttered, my heart panging as Carter's face fell. I explained my thoughts. Carter was mad that I would doubt him, but I let him get out of bed and walk around the room, which made him happy.   
  
The first place Carter went was the window. He wanted to go outside, of course, but... I was to scared to let him leave the room. This threw a whole new twist on everything. With Carter unable to stay still, we'd be open to new dangers... But what could happen in a hospital? Then my mind flooded with a whole list of things that could happen, and I suddenly felt like shit. We'd never be able to get home.   
  
Alex slowly woke up a few minutes later. He was tired and groggy, yet still managed to be himself, unlike Carter.  
  
"What's up with him?" Alex asked me, referring to Carter. I explained it to him and he sighed heavily, obviously sharing my thoughts. "Carter," Alex barked in a stern tone.   
  
Carter ran over and jumped on the bed, grinning like an idiot. "Heya Alex! Sleep well?"  
  
"Could've been better," Alex mumbled. "But we need to talk. All three of us."  
  
~*Alex*~  
I was sick of this. We had to get hom ASAP, and Carter was well... nevermind.   
  
"We have to go home," I told them. "Fast. Carter, sit still." Carter's incessant bouncing on the bed was getting on my nerves. He stopped. "We all have to stick together, no matter what. It's Clear's turn, Carter, so we have to make sure she's okay, got it?" Carter nodded quickly. "Whoever's turn it is, we have to protect them. That means for as long as possible, the three of us have to stick together. Carter, cut it out." He was drumming on the edge of his bed with his hands, which ceased at my order. Why was he so stupified? If this kept up, I was worried he'd start getting in the way.  
  
"Hey Alex," Carter said, "why are you so pissed off at me? I'm not doing anything bad."  
  
I sighed. "I'm not pissed at you. I'm just annoyed by this whole situation right now, and your unfortunate lack of attention isn't helping," I answered, trying to be as discreet as possible. Truth was, he was pissing me off, but a rift in our group was the last thing we needed.   
  
Clear was staring at her shoes. I hadn't really helped her much by confirming that she was next. I really liked her, and hated to see her sad. I felt awful about the whole thing. Carter was still indginant about what I'd said.  
  
"But I can't help it," he said. Was it just me, or did it sound kinda like a whine? "I don't know what's wrong with me! I hate it too you know! And another thing..."   
  
I rubbed my eyes with my fingertips. I was trying to ignore Carter's voice, but it wasn't working. I was thisclose to exploding at him. Which I promptly did.   
  
"Carter, SHUT UP!" I yelled. "You don't have to tell me! I know it's not your fault you're acting like this! Just... try not to!" I was about to blast off again, when Clear stopped me with a hand on my forearm.   
  
"Alex, calm down!" she hissed angrily. "You're in a hospital! There are other people in danger of death too, not just us... not just me. Have a little respect."   
  
I apologized quickly and leaned back in my chair. I hadn't slept well at all the night before, and I guess I was on edge. None of this was going well, and I hated it. Why did I have to have that premonition? Why couldn't we have all died on the plane like we were supposed to? At least then we wouldn't be running from fate all the time...  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter Two

*-Carter-*  
Alex was being so mean! It wasn't my fault I couldn't sit still, okay, maybe I was acting like a kindergartener, but it would clear up, right? Right? It didn't matter. I got to leave the hospital really soon! Alex and Clear had brought me some stuff from the hotel and I was able to be relatively normal as I left. Okay, okay, I was bouncing off the walls and it was making Alex even madder. But the doctors said I should be back to my usual self in a day or two. That concept didn't seem to cheer him up any more.   
  
"Carter, stay still! I'm trying to drive," Alex ordered. I was in the backseat, which was probably a good idea because if I acted up, at least I'd be out of the range of Alex's fist.  
  
Clear was awfully quiet. She did nothing but stare straight ahead the whole way back to the hotel. I wondered if she was okay. She was next, and the look in her eyes sobered me up quite a bit. I sat back and tried really hard to be quiet for the rest of the trip.   
  
"Alex, STOP!" Clear screeched. Alex slammed on the brakes.  
  
"Clear, what the-"  
  
It was a yellow light. Alex was going to just go right through it, but Clear was so paranoid. Our stop had caused several cars behind us to blow their horns loudly, and some drivers were yelling at us in French, so I stuck my head out the window and gave them all the finger. One of them threw something at me and I ducked back inside.   
  
"You could have gotten us all killed!" Clear yelled. She was really in hysterics now, tears running down her face. I kept to myself and curled up in the corner. Alex was trying to calm her down.   
  
"Clear, it's okay, you're not going to go yet," he told her. She wouldn't have it. The light changed and Alex drove us to some place out of the way.   
  
"I can't believe you! You and this stupid plan, and you're all 'We have to protect each other,' and then you nearly run a red light! In a foreign country!" Clear went on and on and on, I was getting a headache but I ignored it. She'd been keeping it all bottled up inside for so long, and deserved to let Alex have it. At least he couldn't yell at me now.  
  
"Clear, calm down, please!" Alex tried in vain to get her to settle down. Geez, she was worse than I was! "I'm sorry! I'm sorry Clear. I shouldn't have done that."  
  
Clear sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Of course you shouldn't have." Alex hugged her and then we were back on the road.  
  
*^Clear^*  
I hated Alex for a little while there. I hated him because after all he'd said, he went and nearly killed us all. Then death would have its way.   
  
We got back to the hotel and the first thing I did was go take a nap. I was incredibly tired, and I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.   
  
I had a horrible dream that afternoon. I was back at home, sitting in front of the school eating lunch with Alex. All of a sudden, Alex got all weird and freaked out. It was like he was asleep, and having a nightmare. Then he 'woke up' and told me we had to leave, there was something wrong. We ran to my house, and Alex turned on the TV. Sure enough, breaking news was that there had been a gas leak at the school and the whole west side was blown apart. We had evaded death again -- and now we were on the run from it, again.   
  
Then, it was probably about a week after the school exploded, Alex and I were running. From what I'll never know, but we were running and runnning. It was probably from death. We tried to escape by going to different cities, we even left the country a few times, but we were still running. Then we got on a plane, Alex had a premonition and we tried to get off, but they wouldn't let us. After the plane took off, some guy in a ski mask jumped up and grabbed me, taking me hostage. He was going to kill us all... that was Alex's premonition. He held a knife to my throat and started drawing it across my neck...  
  
*~Alex~*  
"NOOOOO!"   
  
I jumped about three feet in the air. Clear was screaming again, this time it wasn't at me, thank God. She was sitting bolt upright in bed, her face dripping with sweat, breathing like she'd just run a marathon. I ran to her side and she leaned on me, sobbing again.   
  
"Alex, it was horrible," she cried. Clear told me about her dream, which I had to admit was pretty bad. I held her for a while until she settled down.  
  
Carter came back in with a bang of the door. "Hey, our neighbor has a pretty big selection of guns over there," he announced.  
  
"Were you snooping in his room or something?" I asked.  
  
"No, I was just over there talking to him. He said he was a serial killer, but he's finished with that. What are you guys staring at me like that for?" Carter asked, eyes wild.  
  
"Carter, lock the door," I ordered. "All the locks."  
  
"Um, okay," Carter said, locking the deadbolt, the chain, and the knob.   
  
"The balcony door too," I added.   
  
Carter locked that door and closed the curtains. "What's up?"  
  
"Are you a complete idiot now Carter?" Clear asked. "As if being on the run for the rest of our lives wasn't bad enough, we have to spend a week next to a serial killer?"  
  
"Former serial killer," Carter corrected.  
  
"I can hardly believe he's changed if he has an assortment of weapons with him," Clear muttered.   
  
Carter came over and bounced on the bed. "Whatever. Hey, you have a bad dream or something? I heard you yelling."  
  
Clear retold the dream to Carter, who responded with, "Why wasn't I there?"  
  
"I don't know," Clear muttered. "But I want to go home."  
  
"We all do," I murmured. "But I don't know. The mere prescence of that guy next door is bugging me. I don't like it. I don't like it at all."  
  
Carter made a funny face, and Clear laughed at him. "We'll go home soon Clear. Don't worry."   
  
"I'll try," she said, a weak smile crossing her face. The three of us hugged, like we all needed the reassuring, not just Clear. We were right. Although we wouldn't admit it because we didn't want to worry Clear any more than we had to, Carter and I were as scared as she was. We were scared for her, scared for ourselves. All of us were just plain scared.   
  
*-Carter-*  
I felt really bad for Clear. We were in the worst possible situation... lucky for them, I was feeling more and more like my old self every minute.   
  
That night I didn't sleep a wink. I wanted to stay up, just in case something happened. The three of us decided we'd all share one room from now on, considering our position. I curled up on the couch and just stared around the room. I watched Alex and Clear sleep for a while -- did they look adorable or what. It made me miss Terry again... several of the local girls had tried flirting with me but I wasn't ready to date. Not so soon after I lost Terry. I felt sort of responsible for her death -- I mean, she was yelling at me when she walked out onto the road. I saved a lock of her hair. It's in a little box, and I carry it around with me. I have it with me right now. I loved her so much...  
  
This was ridiculous. We'd gone six months without worrying about it and now it was coming back. Was it going to be like this forever? Alex had said we'd have to stick together, but for how long? What if we ended up going to different colleges, or moved far away from each other? We'd have to keep in constant communication. Like, if I went away somewhere, Alex and Clear would have to keep calling me, to tell me if it was my turn or not, and I'd have to call them to tell them who was next. It would be so hard to do... I wondered if death would ever just give up and realize that it wasn't going to get us, that it should just leave us all alone so we can get on with our lives... that sounded really weird.   
  
Alex stirred and half sat up. "Hey, Carter, what are you still doing up?" he asked.  
  
"I can't sleep," I said. "Is she sleeping okay?"  
  
"Yeah," Alex murmured, his hand on Clear's shoulder. "A good night's sleep is something none of us have had in a long time. You should sleep."  
  
"I can't," I repeated. "It's like I feel I should stay up and watch out for danger or something."  
  
"Maybe that's a good idea," Alex said. "To wake us up if anything happens."  
  
"Yeah..." I toyed with the little box in my hands and said nothing more.   
  
Alex got up and sat on the other side of the bed, closer to me. "You still miss her, don't you?" I nodded. "I'm sure she misses you too."   
  
"What if she doesn't?" I whispered. "What if she forgets me, and when I finally get to see her again she doesn't know who I am? Or what if I forget her? That's my biggest fear. That we'll forget each other."  
  
"You won't forget her Carter," Alex said. "You and Terry were so close. It'd be impossible for either of you to forget each other."   
  
"You wouldn't know," I mumbled.   
  
"You're right," Alex said. "I wouldn't. Hopefully I won't have to know."  
  
"Hey Alex," I said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Go to sleep. I'll probably end up awake all night," I said.   
  
Alex smiled sleepily and went back to bed. I leaned my head back against the couch. This would be a long night...  
  
*^Clear^*  
I was half asleep when the sun came up. I'd thought Carter had closed the curtains... I rolled over and faced Alex instead of the window in an attempt to sleep a little while longer. I'd made it through the night without any chance of death, as far as I knew. If anything had happened and someone else was dead, I'd feel like shit.   
  
Luckily, Carter and Alex were still alive when I woke up. Carter was singing off-key in the shower, and Alex was holding me close. I could hear Alex's heartbeat, which was comforting. He was still asleep.   
  
I slipped out of Alex's arms and stared out the window. I wished so hard I could go home... I closed my eyes and let a few thoughts run through my head.  
  
"Clear! Get over here!" Alex yelled at me.  
  
Not bothering to answer, I ran over to the bed and Alex grabbed me. He pulled me down to the floor opposite the window and shielded me from whatever it was.   
  
'It' was a beam from the construction site nearby. It had smashed through our window, and had I stayed there... I would have been dead. Alex intervened...  
  
"Alex..." I whispered.   
  
"I know," he answered. "I know. Are you okay?"   
  
"Yeah," I said, taking Alex's hand.   
  
Carter ran out of the bathroom, still soaked, a towel around his waist. "What the hell happened?" he shouted, as sirens were heard outside.   
  
"We have no clue," Alex admitted, pulling me off the floor. "But it's my turn now."  
  
Carter went white. "You mean Clear almost-"  
  
"Yeah," I interrupted.   
  
We were cleared out of the room as police asessed the damage and paramedics checked us for injuries. Later our belongings were brought to us, and the hotel manager offered us the rest of the week free, but we declined. It was a unanimous decision: we were going home. Now. 


	4. Chapter Three

Well, here's part 3! Wow! I'm on a roll! Read and review please!  
  
  
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*~Alex~*  
There were no close encounters with the Plan, and I didn't have any more premonitions until long after we got home. Carter seemed to disappear before school started up again, and I got kinda worried. Clear and I spent most of the summer together. We went swimming, rollerblading, and sometimes we just hung out and did absolutely nothing... okay, there was a substansial amount of kissing along with it. Summer was great... then school started again.  
  
Someone found out that it was us involved in the 'accidents' over in Paris. They didn't release our names, but even so, people knew. I watched Carter play in a few football games, and his performance was a bit sluggish. My grades weren't what they used to, and Clear didn't seem to have any sort of creative ideas. We were all pretty shook up by what happened that summer...   
  
My eighteenth birthday was less than pleasing. September 25. 9:25. Same time my first flight to Paris was scheduled for. I didn't have very many good memories that day, to say the least.   
  
It started with a dream. I woke up in a cold sweat around six AM that day. The dream was awful. In it, I was on a ferry, sailing around some bay with Clear and my parents, having the time of my life, when all of a sudden this iceburg shows up and everything goes like the Titanic. People were running around, shouting stuff about 'not enough lifeboats' and 'get your lifebelts on' and 'women and children first.' My parents disappeared, and Clear and I were running around like Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio were, minus the sex. Then, when they took Clear on the lifeboat, I blacked out. When I came to, I was on the same boat as Clear, and we stuck close together. After we reached the Carpathia, it blew up. Completely exploded, flames rushing around everywhere. Clear and I stuck close together as we were cornered by the fires... and I woke up. I managed to get a few more hours of sleep in afterwards and didn't get up until ten thirty. Saturdays rock.   
  
I could barely walk downstairs for breakfast. My knees were shaking like a 7 on the Richter scale, and my palms were drenched. My mom said happy birthday and gave me a hug. For that little moment, I felt like a five year old again, innocent and unassuming... unaware what would happen to me. I felt safe. Dad made me feel better too. I almost forgot about the Plan. They'd made my favourite, pancakes. Clear phoned me later to say happy birthday, and we talked for about twenty minutes.   
  
The rest of the morning seemed to go well. I hung out around town with Clear and some other friends, like a usual Saturday (although everyone was picking on me because it was my birthday), and I forgot about the fact that it my turn, until Steve did something really dumb.   
  
They were trying to give me birthday paddywhacks. That wouldn't be so bad -- if I was five! Eighteen whacks on the behind with a stick hurts. I couldn't sit for an hour. I was a little ticked, and Steve went defensive on me.  
  
"Sheesh man, it's not like you're gonna die or something," he said.   
  
Clear gave me a funny look, which I returned. If they only knew. I let it go, but the next time... Steve's an ass anyway.   
  
*^Clear^*  
I hate Steve. He's so annoying. Then again, he doesn't know about this whole thing, so I can't really blame him. But still, that comment seemed to do something to Alex. For the rest of the day he just wasn't the same.   
  
We went out for lunch, just the two of us, and he seemed so distant. It was as if he'd forgotten where he was and staring at the wall was the most interesting thing in the world.  
  
"Hey, Earth to Alex," I said. "Come in Alex!" He didn't respond. I hit the back of his hand with a spoon. "Yo! You're zoning out!"  
  
Alex jerked out of his trance and stared at me strangely. "What?"  
  
"Was the wall more interesting than your food?" I teased. He gave me an irritated look. "Hey, I was joking. Take it easy, Alex."  
  
"Easier said than done," Alex muttered. "I feel like I did right when I first found out about this Plan: It's the only thing on my mind. That's Steve's fault."   
  
I reached across the table and took Alex's hand. "Don't worry, you're not going to die," I whispered. "I won't let you."  
  
Alex looked at me with a sad face and said, "I'd like to believe you."   
  
*~Alex~*  
I wanted to believe Clear, I really did. But it was so hard to believe what I knew wasn't true. I would die, maybe not now, but eventually, I would. Yeah, yeah, everyone dies sooner or later, but for Clear, Carter and I, it would definitely be sooner. That freaked me out.   
  
I spent the rest of the afternoon with Clear. It was kinda nice. We've been growing so much closer lately, which I like a lot. I can't believe I almost went through all of high school without knowing her! She's so wonderful... I guess one good thing came out of this whole thing, and that would be her. We stayed hand-in-hand almost all day, and I even worked up the nerve to kiss her. It was really sweet and I went into that dazed state again. Things were going great again... I thought.  
  
We were at the beach, sitting on a dock eating popcorn and talking. Then we started goofing around and throwing the popcorn at each other, and Clear pretended to get hit in the eye. "Ahhh! You fool!" she shouted, holding her face and grinning. Somehow, she fell off the dock into the deep water.   
  
"Clear? Clear!" I called. She wasn't coming up too quickly, so I dove in to get her. I managed to raise her above the surface, and she was gasping for air. I brought her back to the dock and she climbed out. I was about to follow her, but something was pulling me down.   
  
"Alex, come on!" Clear called, leaning over the edge of the dock. "Get up here!"  
  
"I... can't!" I stammered, going under and then struggling to resurface several times. "Help... Clear!"   
  
Clear reached her hand over the edge and I fumbled for it in vain. I couldn't die. Not like this. I knew how to swim, but there was this feeling around my ankles like I had lead weights on them or something. I clung to the dock for dear life, while trying to pull myself up and listening to Clear's shouts of encouragement. This was horrible.  
  
I managed to grip Clear's hand tightly. "I'm not gonna let you die Alex," she told me. "Come on, let's think of something. How do we intervene here?"  
  
"I don't know," I blurted out frantically.  
  
"Try to tread water," she suggested.  
  
"I-I can't," I stammered. "My legs can barely move."  
  
"Try, dammit," Clear ordered.  
  
I forced my feet into motion. Slowly but surely, I managed to get somewhat of a rythm going. "I feel like I'm gonna pass out," I announced.   
  
"I gotta get you out of the water," Clear said. "Don't you dare let go of my hand, and keep treading. We're gonna move along the edge to where it gets shallower, okay?" I nodded and Clear gently moved along the side of the dock and pulled me with her. I gripped the wood with my free hand to add momentum, until my feet touched the sand and rocks near the bank. Clear helped pull me out of the water until I was lying on the sand.   
  
"Thank you," I breathed.   
  
"You're welcome," Clear answered.   
  
I sat up slowly and looked into Clear's eyes. She pressed her lips together in a worried guesture, and I reached out and hugged her tightly. "You know what we have to do now?"   
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"Call Carter."  
  
*-Carter-*  
As far as everyone else knew, I was hibernating. Since August. I'd locked myself in my room ever since we got back from France and only came out to eat and go to school. I even avoided school, and football. I had no clue what was wrong with me! I didn't want to do anything anymore. My parents were getting worried, sent me to a parade of doctors, I blatantly ignored any advice they gave me, one put me on these ridiculous medications that I pretended to take, another tried to get me to meditate, which I (supposedly) did in the privacy of my bedroom, and someone else kinda ignored me. Nothing was helping!  
  
"Carter, telephone!" My mom.   
  
"I'll get it up here!" I yelled back. I grabbed the extension in my room and said very bluntly, "Hello."  
  
"Carter, it's Alex."  
  
"What's up Alex?"  
  
"Hate to be the one to tell you, but, you're next."  
  
I nearly choked. I'm next? "What?"  
  
"I nearly drowned today," Alex said.   
  
"What a birthday present," I muttered. "Bye the way, happy b-day."  
  
"Thanks," said Alex. "So, you're up to the plate. Be careful."  
  
"That won't be hard. If you haven't noticed, I haven't been out much lately," I said.  
  
"Still, Carter, there are dangers right in your own bedroom," Alex reminded me. "You never know."   
  
"Yeah yeah," I said. "See ya later Alex."  
  
"Bye," Alex said.   
  
I hung up the phone and resumed staring at the ceiling. I hated my life right now.   
  
  
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So... I'm stuck without a plot again. Any ideas? Hehe, hehe... review please! ~KK~ 


	5. Chapter Four

I know it's been a while, but here's another chapter of Go Home.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
*-Carter-*  
I think I know how Alex feels. Why, you must be wondering, would I, Carter, sympathize with anyone, nevermind Alex? Because I had a dream the other night. Yeah yeah, everyone has dreams, right? Right. Except mine was more of the nightmare type. It was also a lot like the dreams Alex has described to me, with the ever present cliffhanger ending and vivid details. And I have a funny feeling that it might come true. Therefore this may be the last time anyone hears from me.  
  
The first thing I did was tell Alex about it. I nearly attacked him at school on Monday, cornering him and Clear in the stairwell before classes.  
  
"Woah Carter, calm down," Alex said. "What's up?"  
  
"I had a dream," I said frantically. Alex raised his eyebrows and moved his hands in the so-what-could-you-hurry-it-up-we-all-have-places-to-go guesture. "I think it'll come true." Alex laughed and started to say something, but Clear stopped him.  
  
She looked at me seriously. "What was the dream like?" she asked.  
  
"One of those... premonition things Alex tells us about," I said. Alex's eyes went wide. "I... I died."  
  
"How?" Alex asked.  
  
"Billy." They looked at me strangely. "Billy came back, and he killed me."  
  
"What the- But he can't come back," Clear said. "Wouldn't that mess up the plan a bit more?"  
  
"I don't know," I told her, "but he was mad at me."  
  
"Why would he be mad at you?" asked Alex.  
  
"For messing up the Plan," I said with irritation. "He said that if I hadn't been so stupid and gone driving like a maniac and then stopped on the tracks, he would've been alive long enough to learn more about the Plan and then he could still be here helping us. Billy was so ticked at me. And then he killed me."  
  
Clear thought about it. "Hate to say it, but I think he's right," she said. "Well, it is just a dream and all, but if you think about it... he probably could've stayed around a bit longer had you not gone all psycho on us."  
  
I gave her an annoyed look. "Thanks. That reeeeally helped my day." My voice was dripping with sarcasm.   
  
Alex was still, well, still. He was staring at me. "Be careful today Carter," he ordered as the bell rang. "Watch your back."  
  
He and Clear continued downstairs and I went up. I had Math. Fun. Not. I could die of boredom in the Math room, if that were possible. It could be... no, I'd rather not die surrounded by a bunch of freaks while in a somewhat valiant attempt to learn something... No, I'd rather be at home surrounded by family. Cheesy, huh? But it's true. Bury me in my varsity jacket and put the lock of Terry's hair in the pocket... I shouldn't be thinking about this. I'm too young to be worrying about death and stuff. But even so, I'm thinking about starting my will. It's obvious I'm gonna die early, so... ugh, this is depressing.   
  
"Hey Carter," some brain-dead cheerleader drawls as I enter the classroom. She's trying to flirt with me without being obvious, and failing pitifully. I mentally roll my eyes and sigh, acknowledging her with a nod and a barely audiable "Hi" before going to my seat. She follows me and sits on my desk. My first thought was Leech! as she proceeded to act like a complete fruitcake flirting with me. She went on and on about some 'rat bastard' that dumped her last week and her appeal level went from zero to negative thirty. Nothing I hate more than a rebounder, I thought. I was attempting to send a subliminal message to the teacher to 'start the class, start the fuckin' class please,' so this leech would go away.   
  
"...so Carter, do you want to go with me?" Leech asked.   
  
I hadn't been paying attention to a word she'd said, but going anywhere with her would be more deadly than the Plan. I shook my head. "No, I'm busy," I said.   
  
Leech pouted and gave me the puppy dog face. "Aww, come on Carter."  
  
I could see the teacher walk up to the board. "Sorry, I can't. Now, I'd like to see the blackboard," I said. "Could you please move?"   
  
With a huff, Leech got up and went back to her seat. I was secretly pleased, especially to be back to my old self again. Except for the whole class, Leech was glaring at me. I ignored her. She must of told her friends, because later, almost every cheerleader in the classroom was leering at me. Good. If they hated me, then I wouldn't be pestered to go out with any of them, which was fine by me.  
  
Other than the Plan, life was sweet.  
  
*~Alex~*  
Carter was being rude, obnoxious, and completely uncouth to everyone but me and Clear. In other words, he was back to normal. Everything was normal, and the normality was actually pretty scary. It'd been a week since Carter's dream, and so far, he hadn't been anywhere near death.   
  
Later, though, we saw him, and he was paler than milk, and the dark clothes he was wearing didn't help.   
  
"Did you see a ghost or something Carter?" Clear asked.  
  
Carter, owl-eyed and silent, nodded.   
  
"You're joking," I said.  
  
"No," Carter told us, his voice barely audiable. "I saw one."  
  
"Who was it?"   
  
"Billy."  
  
I nearly fell over. Billy Hitchcock, who was decapitated by a piece of metal from Carter's car after the train incident. "No way."  
  
"Yes, it was him," Carter whispered. "He tried to kill me."  
  
"What? Why?" Clear asked.  
  
"Revenge. He said it was my fault he died," Carter explained, "and that I'd pay. But my mom came into the room and he disappeared and didn't come back."  
  
"Does that count?" I wondered.  
  
"I don't know," answered Clear, "but either way we're gonna have to keep a look out for anything."  
  
I crossed my arms and stared at nothing in particular. Another twist to this already screwed up tale. Except this was no story. This was really happening to us; we were really in danger of dying before our time. Outside, I was strong, but inside I was petrified.   
  
"Anyway," Carter said, breaking the silence that had fallen, "I should go. See you later."  
  
"Bye," Clear and I said as Carter started back towards his house. It would later turn out that him leaving wouldn't be a good idea.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hey, if anyone can think of a better title for this story, tell me. I think Go Home incredibly lame and need somethine else. 


	6. Chapter Five

*^Clear^* 

We didn't see Carter the next day. It was weird, even for Carter, so Alex and I decided to go over to his house to see if anything had happened. Almost naturally the first thing we thought of was the Plan. 

"Sorry, he's not here," Mrs. Horton said when we asked for him. "He never came home last night." 

"Do you know where we might find him?" Alex asked. 

She shook her head. "No idea. Maybe one of his friends' houses, although we've phoned everyone trying to find him." 

"Don't worry, he'll turn up," I assured her as we left. 

"I seriously hope he's not dead," Alex said. 

"Of course you do," I sniffed. "That's everyone's first thought when someone goes missing." 

Alex gave me a funny look. "Are you forgetting what else we're facing?" 

"No." 

He seemed exasperated as he moved his gaze away from mine. "Come on, we gotta start looking." 

*-Carter-* 

I was tied to chair in a dark room. My head was throbbing, and all I could remember was being whacked in the head with something heavy (A/N: Maybe a leg of lamb... hehe, inside joke), then waking up like this. An evil-sounding laugh echoed through the room. 

"Hey, who are you?" I yelled. An all-too familiar voice answered. 

"You should know perfectly well, Carter." 

I could feel the blood drain from my face. "Billy?" I whispered. 

"In the flesh. Sort of. I'm kinda dead now Carter. And it's all your fault." 

"Excuse me? How is it my fault? It was the Plan!" 

"Fuck the Plan, Carter," Billy's voice said. It was hard and even. "_You_ were the one that should've died, Carter. But no. You had to act like the jackass you are and go driving like crazy before stopping the car on the tracks. Then death came in, you had to get rescued, therefore the Plan skipped you and it's bye bye Billy! I was _decapitated_, Carter. My fuckin' _head_ was cut off." 

"I didn't mean for you to die! None of us knew what was going on then!" I shouted. 

"If you weren't such a jerk, maybe I wouldn't have died!" 

I was silent. Billy was right. I had been an asshole, and my actions had lead to Billy's gruesome death. 

"It's not fair," Billy said, his tone softer now. "You at least got on the plane." 

"I'm sorry Billy. I never thought of it until now." 

"No, you didn't, did you?" Billy taunted. "Now 'I'm sorry' is too late." 

I finally got a glimpse of Billy then. He walked out of the shadows, pale and translucent. Billy was dressed the way he was when he died, only his shirt was liberally soaked with blood around the collar. The worst part of it all was his head. Gone, like it'd been before, but what I hadn't noticed was that the cut wasn't clean at the neck, like someone who'd been sent to the gullotine. It was severed just at his mouth, leaving a section of his lower jaw still attached to his neck. He carried the top portion of his head in his left arm. I couldn't bring myself to look at him after seeing that. 

"You're that disgusted, aren't you? You can't even look at me now," Billy said. "But no, you never did before the plane exploded, did you? The only time you even spoke to me before that was when you were looking down your nose at me, thinking I acted like an idiot. You were Mr. I'm-Too-Cool-To-Care." 

"I-I-I'm not like that anymore," I stammered. 

"Then look me in the eye and say you were wrong, then maybe I'll give you some peace," Billy ordered. "Admit you were wrong Carter." 

I looked to Billy's face, and of course found nothing. I was stupid enough to stare at his neck, forgetting about how he died. I jerked my gaze to Billy's lifeless eyes, and spat out the words. "I was wrong Billy. I shouldn't have acted so irresponsible." 

"Nice touch. I'll consider letting you go," Billy said before stalking off into the darkness. 

I hung my head and sighed. This was going to be a long night. 

I sat there for hours until Billy came back. "I've decided what I'm going to do with you Carter," he said. 

"What?" I asked, not expecting an answer. 

Billy sauntered around behind me and put his head on the ground. "I'm gonna need two hands for this." 

I suddenly felt incredibly scared. Billy grabbed my head in his hands and moved his thumbs over my skin roughly, like a relative who's pinching your cheeks would. He mushed my face around for a while before going back behind me. "What the-" My question was cut off by a blow to my jaw. 

-+Billy+- 

This was going to be easier than I thought it would. 

"Shut up Carter," I said. It was strange being able to talk, seeing as my head was cut off at the mouth. I held his head tightly in my hands, then jerked it up so he could look at what was supposed to be my face. "Bye Carter. Nice knowing you," I sneered. 

I don't think I'll ever forget the look on Carter's face as I jerked his head to the left, snapping his neck. And if my face could make expressions, mine would've been one of pleasure and glee. 

~*Alex*~ 

So Carter was missing. Clear and I had no idea where to find him, which was getting rather irritating. We looked everywhere he could possibly be, and some places we knew he wouldn't be. We finally decided to call it a day around ten o'clock. Or rather, Clear did. 

"Alex, it's getting late," she said. We were wandering down the main street of town for the sixth time. "And we've been here before. Let's stop for today." 

I gave Clear an impatient look. "But we haven't _found_ him yet," I protested. 

Clear put her hand on my arm. "We can start looking again tomorrow. Who knows, maybe he'll come back in the night." 

"Clear-" 

"Alex, don't argue. We can't look for Carter very well if we're not rested, can we? Of course not. I'm going home," Clear said. 

"Come on Clear," I said. "I gotta find him!" 

"Oh, all of a sudden it's about _you_, huh?" she said, her voice louder and kinda angry. "Well screw that Alex. I'm leaving." She started walking away. 

"Wait Clear," I called. She kept walking, so I followed her. "Clear, stop! This isn't just about me!" Clear ignored me. All of a sudden I got that weird feeling I got before something having to do with the plan happened. _What the -- Isn't it Carter's turn?_ I thought. 

I glanced at the window of the store I was next to: a shoe store. There was a pair like Clear was wearing; boots with heels... the heel was broken. I looked to Clear and her shoes were fine, then I heard the rumbling of a truck behind me. She was almost at the street. "CLEAR!" I yelled, and began running towards her. 

She stopped, turned on her heel... and it broke. "Damn," she muttered. 

"Clear, move!" 

"What?" 

Exasperated and afraid, I grabbed Clear by the waist and pulled her away from the street corner. Seconds later the truck sped past. 

"Alex, what on earth are you doing?" she yelled, glaring at me, struggling to pull away from my grasp. 

"Clear, calm down! Something happened. You could've died," I said, not letting her go. 

She stopped suddenly and stared at me. "I thought it was Carter's turn," she whispered. 

"Like I said, something must've happened, making you next," I told her. "But now it's me again." 

"So Carter's safe?" Clear asked. 

I shook my head. "None of us will ever be safe Clear. And I don't think Carter's okay." 

Clear's breathing was shaky. "You think he's dead?" she whispered. 

"Maybe..." She was scared, I knew it, and I really didn't want to make it worse. "I'm sorry for how I acted Clear." 

"I'm sorry too," she said, wrapping her arms around me and laying her head on my chest, "and thank you for saving me... again." 

"Your welcome," I said, tightening the embrace. "Come on, I'll walk you home." 


	7. Chapter Six

  
  
~*Alex*~  
  
Someone found Carter last night. It was all over the news this morning... he was in an alleyway, unconscious with his neck broken. He was dead. I think that somehow he's happier now. He can see Terry again... The funeral's in a few days.   
  
I was sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast when I heard the news on the radio. After that I suddenly lost my appetite and dashed over to Clear's house. I was scared as hell, knowing I was next, knowing that this would never let up until the two of us were dead.   
  
"Clear! Clear, it's Alex!!" I called, pounding on her front door. "Clear!"  
  
She came to the door, sleepy and barely awake. "Alex? What happened?"  
  
"Carter... Carter's... dead..." I squeaked out.   
  
"What?"  
  
"Dead... Carter... Last night," I said, still stuttering.  
  
Clear let me inside and I waited in the kitchen while she went back upstairs. Soon she came back downstairs, dressed and looking lovely (but then again, I always think she looks great), and gave me the most serious look I've ever seen.  
  
"So... He's dead."   
  
"Yeah."  
  
Clear sat down. "Just the two of us... Alex we have to tell someone about this," she said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Someone else has to know!" she exclaimed. "What if one of us dies? Who's going to intervene for the other? We need someone else!"  
  
She was right. I had to admit, she had a point. "But who?" I asked. "Who's gonna believe us? Who's actually going to take us seriously?"  
  
"Someone has to," Clear said. "We just have to find them."  
  
"But how long will that take?"  
  
"I don't know," she admitted. "But we have to try."  
  
*^Clear^*  
  
I really did not know what I was thinking. I mean, I knew that anyone we told about this would think we were nuts, but I can't deal with this just with Alex. We both need someone else.  
  
"We could tell my parents," Alex suggested.  
  
"Maybe... hey, what about thay guy at the morgue?" I said.  
  
"What about him?"  
  
"Well, he seemed to know a whole lot about this. He'll probably believe us," I explained.  
  
"Yeah," Alex said. "We'll go talk to him today."  
  
~*Alex*~  
  
I don't trust that guy. But I'm going along with Clear because this may be our only option. 


	8. Chapter Seven

  
  
~*Alex*~  
  
I don't trust that guy. But I'm going along with Clear because this may be our only option. We went to the morgue later that day and he was there. The weird thing is, he seemed to be expecting us.   
  
"Hello Alex, Clear," he said. "Nice to see you again. Would you like to see your friend Carter? He's here."  
  
I agreed shakily. I was really nervous and I knew Clear was too, but we went anyway. God Carter was pale. They'd tried to put his neck back but it still looked funny, and his face was bruised horribly. I knew they'd clean him up for the funeral but I'll still remember seeing him like that forever.   
  
"I know you're here for help," the guy said. "You have something to tell me, don't you?"  
  
"Um, yeah," Clear answered. "We think you're the only one who'll believe us."  
  
"So, tell me."  
  
"We've cheated death," I blurted out. "And now it keeps coming after us in different forms. We were all supposed to die on flight 180 but six of us didn't. The Plan, that's how Tod, Miss Lewton, Billy and now Carter died. Now there's just the two of us left and we felt we had to tell someone else. And I'm next."  
  
"You've come to the right person," he said. "I believe you."  
  
"Seriously?" Clear exclaimed.  
  
"Very seriously. I think you were right to come to me," he told us. "I don't know if I can help you but I'll do my best."  
  
"Thank you. Thank you a lot," I said.   
  
"It's no problem. Now, you two should go. You're not supposed to be here."  
  
Clear and I had no problem with that. We left the morgue quickly, not wanting to stick around.   
  
"I think we made the right choice," Clear said.  
  
"If we did," I replied, "why do I feel like we've made a huge mistake?"  
  
I hated this. I wanted to curl up in my room and hide. But I knew even in what seemed like a safe place, there was danger. Remember the tetanus. This didn't feel right.  
  
  
--*Four Months Later*--  
  
  
All right, so we'd gone four months without a word from Death. We're all okay. Nothing has happened. I think I'm starting to relax. Perhaps it is possible to live a semi-normal life with the Plan hanging over you... or lurking under you... it's all around. You can't escape. But you can work with it. So I thought.  
  
  
End.  
  
  
  
~*~**~*~  
  
Yes, that's the end. Will there be a sequel? Perhaps. Send me your feedback, you know how.   
Want to know when I post something new? E-mail me at reckless_abandon182@hotmail.com and I'll remember you. 


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